Forty years ago, Auburn was in the midst of one of the most transformative periods in its history: urban renewal.

The transformation mostly consisted of three distinct but inseparable components: the demolition and replacement of several downtown buildings through the City Center Urban Renewal Project, the construction of the Arterial highway and the creation of Loop Road.

Even today, conflicting feelings linger over the transformation — many of which concern how Auburn, with assistance from the state and federal governments, accomplished it.

Read more about the history of Urban Renewal in Auburn. https://auburnpub.com/news/local/auburns-great-divide-how-urban-renewal-the-arterial-have-affected-the-city/article_99f07eeb-81b8-53a7-b164-1c126e840991.html

In the 1960s, like many cities, Auburn undertook urban renewal, demolishing the historic downtown in favor of a series of arterials and a central commerce district in the style of big box retail surrounded by surface parking. More about the history of the loop road: https://auburnpub.com/lifestyles/how-urban-renewal-in-auburn-shaped-me-as-an-urbanist-part-two/article_0651c724-db1f-50e0-a423-54f320da9fbd.amp.html